Chelsea Dunn

while reading Rita Dove's "Daystar" I felt sympathy for this woman who seemed to be stretched to her limit. An image that stood out to me was when she said, "see her own vivid blood" this to me was a woman that was exhausted and needs a moment to herself. I can imagine her sitting in the chair as the children nap, and her taking deep breaths trying to relax in her own serenity. This poem to me was something i can relate to because we all have those times when life gets a little too stressful and you need time to yourself.

The poem, "A Pair of Silk Stockings" by Kate Chopin was about a woman who had a surplus of money and she had many things she knew she needed to spend it on, but she ended up indulging in herself. At the beginning of the story she contemplated spending the money on things her family needed like fabric for clothes, but when she actually got to the store she lost control and spent all the money on herself. An image that stood out to me was the silk stockings, and how infatuated she was with the touch of them. In my opinion, this was a woman who did not get to splurge on herself very often and when she got in the store everything she thought her family "needed" went on the back burner, and she lost control.

"Why I Want a Wife" by Judy Syfers was a humorous yet compelling and deep story. It seems shallow at first, but when you really start to understand all that a woman does as a wife, it is a bit troubling. One thing that stood out to me the most was when she said, "I want a wife who cooks the meals, and a wife who is a good cook" this was interesting because it shows the type of pressure men sometimes put on women and how being a wife doesn't only entail doing these things, but doing them well. Judy Syfers' tone through out the story was a bit sarcastic which in my opinion added to the flare of the story.